The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is a Member of the Trinity and is indeed God Himself. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All Three are One in the same. It is difficult for our minds to comprehend this fact. However, knowing more about the Holy Spirit and what He has done and continues to do will help us understand the truth of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit has three defining characteristics of God: He is all-knowing (omniscient), all-powerful (omnipotent), and everywhere simultaneously (omnipresent). The Holy Spirit teaches us, He prays for us, He performs miracles, He comforts us, He guides us, and He is always with us. To know the Holy Spirit is to know God. (Omniscience: 1Corinthians 2:10-11, Omnipotence: Genesis 1:2, Omnipresence: Psalm 139:7-8)

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit helped create the universe, He revealed the Scripture and other truth to people, and He empowered people to do God’s will. (Holy Spirit in Creation: Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4, Psalm 104:29-30; Holy Spirit revealing truth: 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Samuel 23:1-2; Holy Spirit giving power: Numbers 27:18-20, Judges 15:14-15)

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit empowered the ministry of Jesus and His church and was active throughout His life. The Holy Spirit was responsible for the miraculous conception of Jesus (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus when He was baptized (Luke 3:22). The Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). The Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to perform miracles and to speak the words of God (Matthew 12:28). At His death, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice through the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Spirit was present at the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 1:4). The Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to talk to the apostles before His ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:2-9). In short, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, enabled to preach and teach by the Holy Spirit, and He was empowered to do miracles by the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit continued to reveal God’s truth to people in the form of visions and dreams (Acts 10:1-20). The Holy Spirit revealed prophecies and Scripture to the authors of the New Testament (2 Peter 1:21; 3:15-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit gave birth to the church in the New Testament. The church is the totality of all believers in Jesus. And the church has spread throughout the world because of the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

As important as what the Holy Spirit did in the past, is what He is doing today in the lives of Christians. The Holy Spirit helps Christians know, be and do what God wants. The Holy Spirit enables Christians to understand Scripture in a way that he could not before becoming a Christian (1 Corinthians 2:13). The Holy Spirit leads and guides Christians by putting it in our hearts and minds to do His will and by providentially governing our circumstances (Philippians 2:12-13). The Holy Spirit encourages and enables us to pray, and even prays to God the Father for us when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts so that we can minister to others (Romans 12:6-8). The Holy Spirit causes us to recognize our sin and prompts us to turn from it (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit gives Christians inner assurance of salvation (Romans 8:16). The Holy Spirit enables us to be transformed into the spiritual likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one”. In John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is a Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”. In the Great Commission, Jesus said right before ascending to Heaven, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. Jesus clearly said to baptize in the name of the “Trinity”. All One in the same. And the very last words Jesus spoke were, “I am with you always”. Jesus is in fact with every Christian “always”. However He is not with us in body, but in Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus, Jesus is the Father, and the Father is the Spirit. When we call upon the Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, protect us, enable us, and teach us, we are calling on God Himself. How awesome it is to know that God is the Spirit that came into our hearts the moment we were saved and is the same Spirit that will be with us always and make us more and more like Jesus every day.